the mandate is to raise taxes. there was no mandate from the voters to tinker with social security and tinker with medicare, but at some point the president's going to put that on the table, and the question will his base let him do it? >> let me switch gears a bit. i want to ask you about senator john mccain. he, of course, has been very critical about the potential nomination of u.n. ambassador susan rice to be secretary of state, something that hasn't happened yet. he appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone over the weekend. i'm going to play two statements for you, john mccain a few weeks ago and john mccain yesterday and ask you about it on the other side. >> we will do whatever is necessary to block the nomination that's within our power as far as susan rice is concerned. >> i think she deserved the ability and the opportunity to explain herself and her position, just as she said. >> chuck, very quickly, is this a very significant change? >> reporter: it is and it tells you something that a lot of people